This turned into much more of an adventure than anticipated. Initially, i thought i could wrap this up in a couple weekends. Ha! Not the case. Over the last several months ive spent a considerable amount of time comparing power cables. So far ive collected 3 finished cables and 6 Diy cables. Some of these had a much more complex assembly process while others were fairly quick. All of the cables gave me a different perspective on my system and deepened my interest in what power cables can do. Now that i have something to show for all this power cable listening, im not so sure theres ever going to be an end to it.
Throughout the comparison I kept my gear and room consistent so as not to add any variables. I could have used an Audio Note Tonemeister SS but this amp isnt all that common. If you do have one, let us know. I do own separates. I find them to be more synergistic than the setup I chose. I chose a Technics Su-r1000 integrated and the components listed below. Thus, assigning cable hierarchical-superiority became much easier.
Equipment used:
Speakers- Philharmonic BMR
Integrated Amp- Technics SU-R1000
Power Conditioner- Isol8 Mini Sub Axis
Source- Server - Jcat USB-XE
LHY 50a LPSU
HDPLEX DC-ATX
JPLAY, Fidelizer
Gustard U-18
Uptone Iso Regen
Cables- Oyaide usb from server
Basic Coax from DDC to Integrated
Blue jean speaker cables
PS Audio Prelude -
The Prelude is the most detailed and forward cable i have in the lineup. Trailing notes and reverb were enjoyable, staying in the air as long as expected with the given music. The cable is well built and has an interesting flexible IEC collar that i dont often see on audio cables.
Sonically, i found this to be the least enjoyable cable. The Prelude exaggerated high frequencies and gave female vocals a nasally character. Exaggerated highs seemed to move the soundstage forward. Bass and percussive instruments existed with little warmth or spaciousness in the room.
The prelude is a unique cable for being so far out on one side of the sonic spectrum. That said, a system likely has foundational issues if this cable brings any improvements to your sound.
Neotech NEP-3003 -
The NEP-3003 is the smallest and easiest to construct Neotech i have. I built this cable in a 5 foot length, finished with Cardas 3455R male connector and 3455R female. I found the 3003 to be a more energetic cable than the 3002. This cable has a satisfying spatial presence and is well balanced. It leans slightly warmer than neutral.
In comparison to the other Neotechs the 3003 was my least preferred. I found it to retreive less low level detail than the 3002. Vocal and instrumental nuances were more easily overlooked on this cable. On busy tracks it began to feel less in control of scale and separation.
I likely would have no complaints if this was the only cable i heard. The spatial presence and warmth of the NEP-3003 are characteristics i enjoy but other cables faired better without some of the negatives.
Neotech NEP-3002 -
The NEP-3002. The Neotechs are getting thicker! Blacker background, more detail, and refined textural understanding of instruments and vocals. This is a nice cable. The 3002 improves on low level detail retrieval that was missed in the 3003 while maintaining the same slightly warm balance. The 3002 has a satisfying large soundstage. I never felt the sound was held back, bass was full and air between instruments was noticeable.The NEP-3002 is reasonably flexible for its size, i didn't find stripping and assembly to be any more challenging than the 3003. I finished this cable with Cardas 3455R male connector and 3455R female.
In comparison to others, this cable does not excel to the same level of naturality and expression of space in the room. The NEP-3002 is more focused on absolute isolation, black levels, and detail before naturalty and realism.
I do like this cable although i felt detail and black levels came at the expense of realism.
Neotech NEP-3001 -
I have had a difficult time discerning the differences between this NEP-3001 and the NEP-3002. The NEP-3001 may have a slightly better grip on bass but i honestly cant be sure. The NEP-3001 was not quite as fun to assemble as the NEP-3002 and is much less flexible. This cable was also finished with a Cardas 3455R male connector and a 3455R female.
Given i cant be certain of any sonic differences i would choose the NEP-3002 over this. The 3002 is cheaper, easier to assemble, and more maneuverable. Although, if i were to go off of looks alone, i think the NEP-3001 is more attractive.
Verastarr Nemesis -
The Nemesis gets the award for most improved from zero hours to 650. At zero hours this cable was poor. I was listening in 2D with a bright, forward presentation. Interestingly, when i gave it another listen at 650 these characteristics had flipped. The nemesis now has a deeper soundstage than any of the other cables. The brightness i initially experienced turned into authority and grip on the music. The Nemesis bested the NEP-3002 in bass authority and roundness/palpability. Instrument separation was acceptable and it had some of the isolation/black level characteristics that i enjoyed in the NEP-3002. Similar to the Foundation SX12, but to a lesser degree, there was an interesting halo effect. I found this enjoyable. The Nemesis is a hard cable, thick solid core I assume, but is plenty flexible to work into tight spaces.
After a good break in, the newfound 3d potential was a welcomed improvement. While it gained an impressive depth, in comparison to the 3002 it lacked width. Its grip and authority did not suit all of the music in my collection. The pace of tracks came off forced and accelerated at times breaking the realism. I found many of the qualities i liked about this cable to combine into a sound that is less, you are relaxing in the recording room.
To summarize, the Nemesis has some positive attributes but does not create the factual naturalness and realism ive found in other cables. Break in time is very important for this cable.
Audio Note - ISIS -
The ISIS is one of the most emotionally revealing cables i heard. Music was a more intimate experience than the NEP-3002 and Nemesis. Details didnt feel pushed into my face but existed calmly in the music. Because of its calmer nature, I found it easier to enjoy the music as a whole and not become distracted with the fibers inside the details. The ISIS is the most flexible cable in the lineup making it very easy to route where i needed it. I finished this cable with Oyaide P-079 male and C-079 female connectors.
This was one of the first cables I received and my favorite until the others were sufficiently broken in. The ISIS is a more light footed cable. I missed the force of bass notes that the other cables could create. The isis was also laid back and warmer than the others. Some tracks wanted to wake up more than the ISIS was allowing.
The ISIS is a nice cable and worth experimenting with other terminations, it may recover some of that lightness in the bass. Although, I feel that would create a tradeoff of some of the positive things i found with it. Its calmer nature is enjoyable but not suitable for my entire library.
Sonic Craft - Custom Cable -
The Custom Cable i found to be a warmer cable than the NEP-3002 but did not go to the extent of the ISIS. There were times i would have liked to see a calmer laid back presentation from the Custom Cable. Building a Custom Cable PC is a process. It requires the stripping and tinning of 12 wires and a bit of wrangling to get into the connectors. I also used Cardas 3455R male connector and a 3455R female on this cable.
Of the cables i have, the Custom and NES-3001 have the widest soundstage. The Custom cable creates a nice coupling to the room. It has a satisfying fleshed out sound from top to bottom and tracks small tonal changes tightly. Most impressive is the realism of the custom cable. High frequencies and vocals are fully unchained without sounding influenced to be. It does not become confused on complicated tracks and creates intimate black levels when asked. Details on this cable were fully revealed in a natural way that didn't make them become the main focus.
The Custom Cable is the most well rounded cable i have in the lineup. I would describe its sound in my system as full bodied and believable. I will be keeping this cable.
Synergistic Research - Foundation SX12 -
The Foundation SX12 has an interesting 3D Halo presence similar to the Nemesis but more defined. The sound is overall nicely balanced on the warmer side between the ISIS and Custom. I found it to be a bit more full sounding in the mids and highs than the NES-3001. Air and spatial cues are great, these are the defining characteristics of the SX12. The cable comes with 2 tuning dots from Synergistic Research to be placed on the cable, I did not use these during the evaluation.
Compared to the NES-3001, bass pretty much fell off a cliff. The bass that was present had quite a bit less authority. While the 3d effects are interesting I prefer the larger soundstage of the NES-3001 and Custom Cable. Not to say the SX12 was lacking scale, it just didnt fill my room like the others.
Overall i like the 3d space of the SX12 but lower frequency performance sucks the life out of songs that have a lot going on in that region. It has a more relaxed attitude without being too obvious about it. Its a fun cable but the bass performance is an irredeemable fault.
Neotech - NES-3001 -
The NES-3001 shared some of the characteristics i liked about the custom cable such as the soundstage, scale, and warmth. But when connected to my power conditioner it tilted the high frequencies up enough to make them not as enjoyable. This was less noticeable on my Integrated. The Custom Cable performed well in both locations. Details are not as defined as i heard on the NEP-3002 but not enough to be categorized as a negative attribute.
Rather than just being a warmer cable, the NES-3001 has a darkness to it. It came across as a deeper richness but without taming down dynamics or detail loss. I like that quite a bit. This was a full sounding cable, strong rounded bass and a wide soundstage. I found it to have a slightly larger scale than the Custom Cable which is already large. In my notes I wrote, 3d holographic space is great.
I enjoyed the NES-3001 on my Integrated for its Darker warmth and large soundstage. Overall it is a natural full bodied sounding cable that i may use in one location in combination with another.
Conclusion -
I have spent quite some time listening to these power cables. Of the 9, the custom cable is easily my favorite. Its lifelike qualities and balance from top to bottom is impressive. To sum this cable up, it just sounds right.
This isnt an end to my power cable journey, more so the first chapter. I had fun building and listening to these cables and feel the need to turn over a few more stones. I intend to purchase more cables and connectors.
